Today we’d like to introduce you to Sonya Brown.
Hi Sonya, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself
I started my journey as a social worker helping to change the lives of children in the foster care system. I grew up in the foster cafe system, so naturally, I gravitated toward helping young adults who had similar life experiences. I often saw a lot of myself in the lives of the young adults I worked to help. My focus was on providing them with jobs at my cafe and popup events. This allowed me to mentor them and give them access to counseling and other resources they might have needed to become successful.
During this time, it became evident that the way to truly help others was by working toward healing my own childhood trauma.
I decided to merge my love for cooking vegan food and my degree in social work to develop an interactive therapeutic experience aimed at helping others heal from trauma. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, I provided traditional therapy along with culinary art therapy to help people work toward healing trauma.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
This has not been a smooth road. I’ve recently become a mother again after 15 years while in the middle of a pandemic. The pandemic forced me to pivot from a full service restaurant, to a more flexible model of business. The time off allowed me to explore my passions and conclude that people need healing in the form of mental health, nutritional education and physical health education. I’ve expanded the Nola Vegan Brand by offering products and classes. I’ve also launched my mental health and wellness brand along with the (Beaucoup) B Wellness studio which will open in Spring 2022.
Great, so let’s talk business. Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
We envision a world where people think critically about their food choices, where growing numbers of people are inspired to make healthier, greener, more compassionate choices, and where delicious, sustainable plant-based foods are accessible to everyone.
We aim to help individuals better understand how they can take charge of their health. We’ve developed resources and classes specifically tailored to mental health, physical health and wellness issues. We provide high-quality, holistic mental health care services to our community while promoting healthy lifestyle choices through education, counseling, wellness activities and community outreach.
We are most known for our delicious and creative vegan food. We specialize in creating a space for people to eat well and focus on their overall wellness.
I want readers to know that our brand is growing and it is here to stay. We plan to be the leading wellness brand in the south in the next five years.
Contact Info:
- Email: sonya@geauxnolavegan.com
- Website: www.beaucoupwellness.com
- Instagram: @nola.vegan
Image Credits
Zoe White
